# Fair Pictures in the Blue explained — The Blue Lagoon

> Chapter companion for The Blue Lagoon by H. de Vere Stacpoole.

## What happens

The children have been on the island for a fortnight, reveling in the freedom of nudity and the wonders of the lagoon. Mr. Button oversees their daily life, fishing and cooking, while Dick and Emmeline explore the rich marine life. The children lose all sense of time and rarely ask about Mr. Lestrange, having quickly adapted to their new environment.

## Themes in this chapter

### Nature vs. Civilization

Dick's joy in shedding clothes and civilization for naked freedom in the lagoon highlights the tension between natural existence and societal constraints.

### Innocence and Loss

The children's rapid forgetting of Mr. Lestrange and their immersion in island life reflects a loss of past connections and a return to innocent wonder.

## Character check-ins

### Dick

Delights in being naked, darting about on the sand and wallowing in the lagoon, embodying a joyful rejection of civilization.

### Emmeline

Sits nude drying in the morning sun after her dip, watching Dick's antics; initially wept at the command to strip but now enjoys the lagoon.

### Mr. Button

Chases Dick with trousers, insists on the children bathing naked, and provides for them by fishing and cooking on the beach.

## Key lines

> To be free from the curse of clothes, to shed civilisation on the beach in the form of breeches, boots, coat, and hat, and to be one with the wind and the sun and the sea.

Dick experiences liberation by removing his clothes, symbolically abandoning the trappings of civilized society to merge with the natural elements.

_Highlights the theme of nature versus civilization._

> There was a lot of human nature lurking in the depths of the lagoon, comedy and tragedy.

The lagoon's marine life mirrors human behaviors, including both humorous and sorrowful aspects.

_Reflects on the connection between nature and human experience._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_blue_lagoon_se/chapters/part-ii-xv-fair-pictures-in-the-blue
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_blue_lagoon_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_blue_lagoon_se/chapters